Bar screen grader for carrots and vegetables having like tapering forms



R. H. WINTERS 2,458,887 BAR SCREEN GRADER FOR CARROTS AND VEGETABLES v Jan.11,l949.

HAVING LIKE TAPERING FORMS 4 shqets sheet 14 Filed Feb. 11, 1947 w: JNVENTOR; Wddafig BY v m ATTORNEYS Q R k m M m E: R .171 W U llll Q w w m8 R. H. WINTERS Jan. 11, 1949.

2,458,887 BAR SCREEN GRADER FOR CARROTS AND VEGETABLES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 11, 1947 A. T TOPZVEYS INVENTOR.

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Q \N um A E Jan. 11, 1949. R. H. WINTERS BAR SCREEN GRADER FOR CARRQTS AND VEGETABLES HAVING LIKE TAPERING FORMS Flled Feb 11 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 I INVENTOR. 61/

ATTORNEY:

Jan. 11, 1949.

R. H. WINTERS 2,453,887 BAR SCREEN GRADER FOR CARROTS AND VEGETABLES HAVING LIKE TAPERING FORMS Filed Feb. 11, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 WW Min I N V EN TOR.

Wd/QZZQ m p AT TOPNEYS Patented Jan. 11, 1949 UNITE-D BAR SCREEN GRADEE FQR GARROTS AND VEGETABLES HAVING LIKE TA- PERING FGRMS Russell H. Winters, Green Bay, W'iSQ, assignor to The Larsen Company, Green B'ay, Wis.

ApplicationFebruary 11, 1947, Serial. No. 7 2 2 ,794

This invention relates to a bar screen grader for carrots andvegetables having a like tapering form, such as corn on the cob, turnips, etc.

Because of the tapered form of' carrots and similar tapered vegetables, carrots are difii'cult to grade as to size. With carrots and the like it is desirable to size grad'e them in a rotating cylindrical screen madeup of'ci'rcumferentially spaced longitudinal bars, the spacing of the bars determining the size of the carrots graded out by the screen, and the oversize carrots passing, interiorally longitudinally over the bars and being discharged from the end of the screen. However, in such a cylindrical bar screen the smallerends of many ofth'e' slightly larg'eror oversize carrots.

wedge between the bars. and the following stream of carrots pound these caught carrots. firmly between the bars; As a result, the cylindrical bar screenis soon clogged with theseslightly oversize wedged carrots andmust'be' stopped and the carrots removed laboriously'by hand.

It is the principal object ofz. the present invention to provide a size grader for carrots and like tapered vegetables which does not become clogged with such slightly oversize carrots.

Another object. of the? inventioniis to provide such a grader which is. in. theform of a simple cylindrical bar screen which handles a continuous I Claim. (Cl. 209-393) stream of carrots and is therefore, of high ca- 1 pacity being operated with a minimum of abrasion on both. the undersi'ze and the. oversize carrots.

Another object of the invention" is to provide such a size grader Whichpurges itself. of slightly oversize wedged'carrot s' thereby permitting. continuous'operation of the grader and eliminating the necessity for close supervision and periodic shutdown.

Another object of the invention is toprovide such a size grader whichican easily be cleaned and which is simple and inexpensive in construction.

Other objects andtadvantages willappear from the following description and drawingsin which:

Fig. 1' is. a side elevation, partly in se.ction,. on-

a size grader'for' carrots and the like embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an endv elevation thereof vi'ew'edlfrom the discharge end of the grader.

Fig. 3; is an end elevation thereof viewedfro'm theinlet end of the grader.

Fig. 4 is a vertical central longitudinal section.

through. the grader forming the subject of. the present invention. v I

Figs. 5 and 6 are vertical-transverse sections taken on the correspondingly formed lines in Fig.1.

The'.carrot grader is- ShOWn, as mounted. on. a

rectangular bed frame composed of two longitu'dinal'ly'side channels l'flconnected' by four cross.

channels H, the latter being spaced to support the diiferent elements as' hereinafter described. This bed frame, composed of the channels Hi, it is inclined, as best shown in Figs. I and i so as to slant from the inlet end downwardly toward its outlet end, this slant being provided. to-permit the stream of carrots to move by gravity lengthwise through a generally cylindrical bar screen. mounted on this bed frame and which is indicated generally at I 2.

This generally cylindrical bar screen l2 includes a pair of large end ring gears i4, 14,. each ofv which is'in' the form of a large annular rinilfi having a series of externalv gear teeth it" and having an inwardly extending annular flange. it at one side, thev two ring gears it; M being. arranged so that the flanges are in opposingrel'ation' to each other, as best illustrated in Fig. 4. The flanges I8 ofithe pair of gears M, M are connected by a series of round bars l9, which extendthrough holes provided in the flanges and are fixed therein in any suitable manner. lEhese fixed bars l9 constitute one series of the bars of the cylinder l2, the cylinder being provided with another series of bars, indicated. at 20, which are arranged in alternate relation withthe fixed bars l9. ,Each of the bars 2.0 is movable radially of the cylindrical bar screen. and. for this-purpose each end ofv each of these bars 20 extends-through a radial slot 2! provided in the corresponding gear 14'. The movable bars 20 are also substantially longer than the fixed bars i9 and project longitu'dinally beyond the flange l3 of each of the gears M, as best shown in Fig. 4.

The cylindrical bar screen is supported on four rollers 22 and for this purpose, each of the gears I4 is formed with an. outwardly projecting annular rib 23 which is preferably rectangular in cross. section, these ribs being arranged in correspondingly shaped annular grooves provided in the peripheries of the rollers 22. A pair of these rollers 22 is arranged at each side of the cylindrical barscreen i2. At one side a corresponding pair of rollers is mounted on an idler shaft 24 which is journaled. i-nbearings 25 provided on the main frame and on the opposite side of the bar screen the corresponding pair of rollers 22 is mounted on a drive shaft 26 which is also suitably journaled in. bearings 28 on the bed frame, this drive shaft 26 being longer than the idler shaft 24 and being journaled at one end in a bearing 29 also carried by the bed frame. A pair of drive gears are fixed to the drive shaft 26, each adjacent one of the rollers 22 carried by this drive shaft and in position to engage the teeth I6 of the corresponding gear M. A similar pair of gears 3| is fast to the idler shaft 24, each adjacent a corresponding one of the rollers 22 carried by this idler shaft and meshing with the teeth l6 of the corresponding gear I 4. It will therefore be seen that upon rotating the drive shaft 26 a, corresponding rotation of the gears I4 is effected, this in turn rotating the idler shaft 24 through the gears 3| fast thereto. By the use of the gears 3| fast to the idler shaft 24, any tendency of the cylindrical bar screen |2 to twist about a longitudinal axis is prevented.

Any suitable means can be provided for rotating the drive shaft 25 to in turn rotate the cylindrical bar screen |2, the means shown comprising a bevel gear 33 fast to the drive shaft beyond the bearing 29 and meshing with a bevel pinion 34 fast to a main drive shaft 35, this drive shaft being shown as journaled in bearings 36 suitably mounted on the rectangular bed frame of the rader.

This main drive shaft is shown as driven by a sprocket 38 fast thereto, which in turn is shown as driven through a chain 39 from any suitable source of power (not shown). 7

The carrots to be graded are fed into the elevated end of the cylindrical bar screen l2 and for this purpose are supplied from a conveyor belt 40 which passes around a roller 4| fast to a shaft 42 journaled in bearings 43. These bearings 43 are carried by a frame indicated generally at 44 arranged at the inlet end of the grading cylinder and shown as comprising four uprights 45 connected by cross members 45. The shaft 42 for the conveyor belt 40 is shown as driven through a bevel gear 4-8 which is fast to one end thereof and meshes with a bevel pinion 49 fast to the upper end of a generally vertical shaft 59, the lower end of the shaft having fast thereto a bevel gear 5| meshing with the main drive pinion 34, as best shown in Fig. 3.

The carrots on the upper stretch of the conveyor belt 40 are dropped into a hopper 52 having an inclined bottom or chute 53, the discharge end of which extends into the cylindrical bar l2 at the elevated end thereof. This hopper is sup ported by the frame 44.

The principal feature of the present invention resides in the manipulation of the radially movable bars 23 as these bars traverse the top of the cylindrical bar screen |2 to free any carrots' which become jammed between adjacent bars I9, 20. For this purpose the upper half of each of the gears M is embraced and housed within the semi-cylindrical channel part 60, the opposite ends of this semi-cylindrical channel part 68 being extended downwardly to form vertical legs 5 I, the lower ends of which are suitably fixed to the rectangular bed frame of the grader. Each of these channel parts 63, 6| supports a track 62 in the form of an angle bar which is bent into semicircular form. For so supporting the semicircular angle bar 62 a pair of horizontal straps 63 are shown as welded to the upper ends of the legs 6! of each of the channels and as welded to the upper extremities of the radial flange of the corresponding semicircular angle bar 32. As additional support for each semicircular angle bar 62 a diagonal support M is shown as extending from each leg 6| to the bed frame and as carrying a plurality of welded straps 65 which are in turn welded to the radial flange of the semicircular angle bar 62. The axial flange 66 of each of the semicircular angle bars 6'2 extend in opposed. relation to each other and are arranged concentric with the axis of rotation of the cylindrical bar screen l2. This flange is also arranged to engage the projecting ends of the radially movable screen bars 20 so as to hold these screenbars 20 at the inner ends of the slots 2| as they traverse the lower half of the cylindrical bar screen |2. These axial flanges of the semicircular angle bars 62 are further so arranged as to hold the radially movable screen bar 20 in the same circle as the fixed bars IQ of the screen, as best shown in Fig. 5, the projecting ends of the radially movable screen bars 2|! riding along the inner face of the semicircular angle bar 52 for this purpose, as best shown in Figs. 4 and 6.

It will therefore be seen that while traversing the lower half of the cylindrical bar screen |2 the movable bars 20 are held in the same circle as the fixed bars l9 thereof and thereby are 7 uniformly spaced to provide screening apertures of the desired width therebetween. However, when grading carrots or the like, the tapered ends of slightly oversize carrots pass into these apertures and become wedged between adjacent bars in the lower 'part of the cylindrical bar screen and these wedged carrots are carried around with the screen into the upper part thereof. To free such wedged slightly oversize carrots the movable bars 20 are moved radially outward in the radial slots 2| as they pass along the upper part of the cylindrical bar screen I2, this radial movement of these movable bars 2| increasing'the spaces between each movable bar 20 and the two adjacent fixed bars I!) thereby to release the slightly oversizecarrot. Since when freed the large end of the carrot is in a pendant position, the carrot drops back into the stream of carrots. In this manner the cylindrical screen is self-purging.

The means for so effecting radial movement of the bars 20 in the upper half of their. circular course are preferably constructed as follows:

A semi-elliptical guide track 10, which is L- shaped in cross section, isarranged at each end of the cylindrical screen I2 and has its radially extending flange secured to the corresponding semi-circular part 60 by a plurality of straps 1'2, or in any othersuitable manner. The axially extending flanges 13 of these guide tracks 10 extend in opposed relation to each other and in position to engage the projecting ends of the radially movable bars 20 of the cylindrical bar screen I2. The opposite lower extremities of each of the guide tracks 10 are arranged in inwardly spaced relation to the ends of the axial flange 66 of the guide track 62 so that the projecting ends of the movable screen bars 20' on the rising side of the cylindrical bar screen |2 pass from engagement with the inner faces of the axial flanges 66 of the guide tracks 62 into engagement with the outer faces of theaxial flanges 13 of the guide tracks 10. Conversely, on the descending side of the cylindrical bar screen I2, the projecting ends of the movable bars 2|] pass from engagement with the outer faces of the axial flanges 13 of the semi-elliptical guide tracks 10 into engagement with the inner faces of the axial flanges 66 of the semicircular guide tracks 62. The guide track 10 is of semi-elliptical form with its salient part extending upwardly and this elliptical guide track H! is proportioned so that as the movable bars approach the top of' the cylindrical bar screen they are moved to the outer or upper extremities of the radial slots 2| by the axial flanges 13 of the semi-elliptical guide tracks 10. In so moving the spaces between each movable screen bar 20 and its:adjacent fixed. screen bars i9 is increased so as to release any carrot caught therebetween and permit it to fallback into the bottom of the cylindrical bar screen.

At the discharge end of the cylindrical bar screen la the oversize carrots fall into a hopper indicated generally at 86; This hopper can be of any suitable construction anditisshown as comprising a frame 8! of angle barssuitably secured to the bed frame and also to the legs El of the semi-circular angle bar iii] at the discharge end of the cylindrical bar screen. This framework supports side plates at which converge downwardly toward each other to provide a discharge chute l3 a back plate fi l, the front of this chute being open to the stream of carrots flowing from the bottom of the cylindrical bar screen H2. The upper and lower front parts of the hopper so and discharge chute B3 are shown as closed by front cross plates 85, 86.

Operation In the operation of the size grader, a stream of carrots is continuously supplied to the upper stretch of the horizontal feed belt 40 which is moving in the direction of the arrow associated with Fig. 3. This stream of carrots is thereby discharged from this upper stretch of the feed belt so into the hopper 52. From the bottom of this feed hopper 52 this stream of carrots flows down the inclined chute 53 into the elevated end of the cylindrical bar screen l2.

This cylindrical bar screen is continuously rotated by its drive shaft 26 through the tWo pinions 3t! thereon which mesh with the teeth H; of the two large ring gears l4, M which form the opposite ends of the cylindrical bar screen. This drive shaft is driven through the bevel gear 33, bevel pinion 3 3, drive shaft 35, sprocket 38 and drive chain 38. The drive for the conveyor belt til is also from the bevel pinion 34, this being through the bevel pinion 5i, shaft 52, bevel pinion 49 and bevel gear 18 fast to the drive shaft 22 for the pulley 4!.

The cylindrical bar screen 12 is mounted for such rotation on the four rollers 22, and which engage and support the annular ribs 23 provided on the pair of large ring gears I4, 14. One pair of these rollers .22 is mounted on the drive shaft 25 and the other pair is mounted on an idler shaft 24, this idler shaft being journaled on the opposite side of the cylindrical bar screen l2 and also carrying a pair of gears 3| which mesh with the teeth E5 of the large ring gears I4, 14, thereby to prevent displacement of the cylindrical bar screen H2.

The cylindrical bar screen I2 is inclined as illustrated in Figs. 1 and e and the carrots thereby flow by gravity along the bottom of the cylindrical cage of spaced bars :9, 2D the spaces between which form the grading apertures for this cylindrical bar screen. At the bottom of the cylindrical bar screen these bars l9, 2!! are in substantially semi-circular relation with each other, the mov able bars being held in this relation to the bars l 9 by the engagement of its projecting ends with the inner faces of the axial flanges 65 of the semi-circular guide tracks 62. On the rising side of the cylindrical bar screen I2 the projecting; ends of these movable screen bars 20 pass from engagement with the inner faces of the axial flanges 66 of the semi-circular guide tracks 62 into engagement with the outer face of the axial flanges it of the semi-elliptical guide tracks it. As the movable screen bars 20 contlnue along the rising side of the semi-elliptical guide tracks '50 they are moved toward the outer ends of their radial slots 28 by the upwardly salient form of these semielli-ptical guide tracks ill. In consequence, at the top of the cylindrical bar screen it, the movable bars 20 are brought into zig-zag relation with the fixed bars l9, as best illustrawd in Fig. 5, This, of course, greatly increases the spaces between the bars I9, 20 at the top of the cylindrical bar screen as compared with these spaces at the bottom of the cylindrical bar screen, as will be seen from an inspection of Fig.6. In consequence, any slightly oversize carrots which havebecoine wedged, particularly because of their tapered shape, between any of the bars I9, 28 whileflowing along the bottom of the cylindrical bar screen will be released at the top of the cylindrical bar screen by this spreading or increased spacing of the bars l9, 2E].

As the movable bars 23 traverse the descending side of the cylindrical bar screen i2, they are brought back into the more closely spaced grading relation required at the bottom of the screen. For this purpose, on the descending side of the cylindrical bar screen l2 the projecting ends of the movable bars 26 pass from engagement with the outer faces of the axial flanges it of the semielliptical guide tracks "iii into engagement with the inner faces of the axial flanges it of the semicircular guide tracks 62. In this manner the movable bars 20 are brought back into the semicircular relation with the fixed bars it to pro vide the uniform grading apertures at the bottom of the cylindrical bar screen.

The undersize carrots, together with dirt and small debris passes through the uniformly spaced apertures provided by the bars ill, at in the bottom of the cylindrical bar screen it and the oversize carrots work their way along the bars i9, 23

to the outlet or lower end of the cylindrical bar screen and fall into the hopper so from which they are discharged through the chute 83 at the lower end of this hopper.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention provides a large capacity grader, particularly for tapered vegetables such as carrots, which is self-purging so as to avoid the necessity for shutdown or constant supervision in preventing blinding of the grader by carrots.

t will further be seen that this self-purging is accomplished, in accordance with the present invention, in a very simple and expeditious manner and that the grader is free from operating difliculties.

I claim as my invention:

In a size grader for carrots and similar tapered vegetables, a cylindrical bar screen mounted for rotation about a generally horizontal axis and comprising a pair of end rings each having a series of radial slots near its periphery, a plurality of screen bars each having its opposite ends arranged in a corresponding pair of said slots on said end rings and thereby being supported generally in the form of a cylinder and generally parallel with said axis and capable of limited movement toward and from said axis, the opposite extremities of each of said screen bars projecting beyond said end rings, a pair of track bars of L-shaped cross section and of generally semicircular form each having a radially extending flange and an axially extending flange projecting from the outer edge of said radially extending flange, a stationary support holding each of said track bars alongside the lower part of each of said end rings with said axially extending flanges in opposed relation and engaging the sides of the passing screen bars to hold them in closely spaced relation as they traverse the lower part of said screen to provide minimum size grading apertures in the bottom of the screen, the said radial flanges preventing endwise displacement of said screen bars, a second pair of track bars of L-shaped cross section and of generally arching form and. each having a radially extending flange and an axially extending flange projecting from the inner edge of said radially extending flange, a second stationary support holding each of said second track bars with its ends abutting the ends of one of said first track bars and with the radial flanges of both track bars forming a continuation of each other, said axially extending flanges of said second pair of track bars REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,321,773 Ross Nov. 11, 1919 20 1,343,292 Turner June 15, 1920 1,703,591 Olney Feb. 26, 1929 2,241,977 Buck May 13, 1941 

